Kitty Morse

Cookbook Author, Food and Travel Writer

Kitty Morse

Cookbook Author, Food and Travel Writer

Serves 4

30 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
20 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 thick slices (4 to 6-ounces each) white fish, rinsed and patted dry
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
6 ribs celery, strings removed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, cleaned, and thinly sliced
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
20 pitted green olives
1/2 medium lemon, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch slices
Freshly-ground pepper to taste
Wedges of lemon for garnish

For the marinade, in a large bowl, mix the parsley, cilantro, garlic, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and lemon juice. Stir to blend. Coat fish evenly with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes to overnight.

 In a small saucepan, blanch sliced carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Prepare remaining vegetables for assembling the dish.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To assemble, place celery pieces at the bottom of a tagine dish or cast iron  casserole. Top  with carrot and zucchini slices. Cover with half the tomato and onion. Dot with half the olives. Season with salt and pepper. Set the fish on top of the vegetables. Layer remaining tomato and onion slices over the top. End with lemon slices and remaining olives. Cover with remaining marinade.

Cover tightly. Bake until vegetables are very tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired, and serve.